The Malik Report

Updated 22x at 7:28 PM: This is nuts in the Red Wings news department, from Clipper 377 on Twitter:

Flight data says a gulfstream registered to the Red Wings left Madison WI 40 mins ago. Bringing Suter? http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N559LC
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A Gulfstream 4 Owned by the Detroit Red Wings parent company left Madison WI 45 mins ago. Carrying Ryan Suter? #NHL
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@AnsarKhanMLive Illitch and Chelios were scheduled to meet with Ryan Suter today. They’re set to land at DTW at 5pm.
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@AnsarKhanMLive Illitch and Chelios were scheduled to meet with Ryan Suter today. They’re set to land at DTW at 5pm.

That plane is indeed registered to Olympia Entertainment. This is BANANAS
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That plane registered to Olympia Entertainment flew to Madison this morning http://is.gd/yMUmQK
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DO WE HAVE ANY CORRESPONDENTS ON THE GROUND AT DTW?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
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Full credit to @clipper377 for the CIA work
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That flight, is scheduled to arrive at 4:50pm EST. What does it mean? We don’t know
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If we can watch pizza being made online then we have every right to track the plane of the owner of a pizza chain, or something #right?
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NOTE: This is not an official Detroit Red Wings feed. This account is run by fans, for the fans. We do our best to pass along good info

talked to Zach Parise at MSP. He says he has not made a decision and he and his fiancée will talk today. “that has not started.” #MNWild
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Parise has no timetable, says is “so much more than the money. That plays a very small part in it.” #MNWild
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Parise, as affable as always, said this is “so much harder a decision than he I thought it would be.”
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For folks that think he wouldn’t fly back to Minnesota to announce he’s leaving, he laughed: “this is where I live.”
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Most amazing thing about Zach Parise: He apologized to me for “going dark for a few days.” Quite the star #mnwild #nhl

According to Flight Aware, a flight tracking system that shows live maps, flight statuses, airport delays, private/GA flights, and airports, there was a plane registered to Ilitch Holdings that arrived in Madison this morning.

That is the plane owned by Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch.

That’s where free-agent defenseman Ryan Suter lives on a farm in Madison, Wis.

Wings general manager Ken Holland has not responded to text messages.

This is a great sign since Suter’s agent Neil Sheey told teams that there would be no face-to-face meetings with his client.

The Wings were planning to send Ilitch and Chris Chelios to his farm on Sunday, but that meeting was canceled.

A plane registered to Olympia Aviation, LLC, flew to Madison, Wis., this morning and is scheduled to fly back today, according to the Web site, FlightAware.com.

That is the plane owned by Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch.

Free-agent defenseman Ryan Suter lives on a farm in Madison, Wis., in the off-season.

Red Wings general manager Ken Holland has not responded to phone messages.

A source told MLive.com that Ilitch and team advisor Chris Chelios had planned on meeting with Suter at his farm on Sunday. But that meeting was canceled by Suter’s agent, Neil Sheey.

Sheehy told MLive.com on Saturday: “We (he and NHL general managers) all know each other, so there’s nothing meeting face-to-face is going to accomplish, at least initially. If Ryan is uncertain, that (meetings) could come into play.’‘

A source told MLive.com on Sunday that the Red Wings’ initial offer to Suter was 12 years for $90 million (salary-cap hit of $7.5 million).

“There’s a lot of things to factor into it and I think that’s why we’re taking our time with the decision,” said Parise, the New Jersey Devils captain. “It’s not something we can just make at 1 o’clock on July 1. It takes time to make sure you consider everything and you’re doing the right thing.”

The teams in the running are believed to be his hometown Wild, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Detroit Red Wings and the team that might be tugging on his heartstrings the most, the Devils, who drafted him in the first round in 2003. Parise, 27, said he would return to his home his Orono and talk with family, which will likely include his father, former North Stars player and assistant coach J.P. Parise, and his mother, Donna. But in the end, he said, “It’s a decision my fiancée and I will make together and that plays a lot into it. We just want to go somewhere that we know we’re going to be happy.”

As hard as it is to imagine since his agent, Don Meehan, said a decision could come later in the day Tuesday, Parise says that decision-making hasn’t started.

“We haven’t made a timetable or wanted to make a timetable,” Parise said. “I don’t want to put those types of restrictions on anything. You have to do the right research and it’s a life-changing decision.”

Conspiracy-theorist Wild fans, in suspense and praying he chooses the Wild, have felt there’s no way Parise would return to Minnesota to announce he’s snubbing the hometown team and signing elsewhere. Told that theory, Parise laughed, saying, “This is where I live. Either way, we’re coming back here.”

Teams interested in Parise are believed to be offering contracts worth $100 million and above. Still, Parise never imagined how “stressful” this decision would be.

“There’s so much more than the money. That plays a very small factor in it,” he said. “My agent’s did a great job. You take the time to consider everything. You consider where you want to be for the next however long and however many years of your life. It’s a harder decision than I thought it was going to be.”

Parise said he will discuss everything with his family.

“I’m excited for it to be over pretty soon,” Parise said.

Update #5 Sorry about being late on this, folks. Went out to get my clothes dry cleaned for Traverse City.

“For a young man who is looking to commit to 13 years, I find it strange that people expect him to make a decision within hours or days. Everything needs to be carefully considered. Today is another day—really, there is nothing else I can say.”

Sheehy wouldn’t say whether Suter has met personally with the Wings, but a plane registered to Olympia Aviation LLC (Mike Ilitch’s company) left Madison, Wis., this afternoon, headed back to Detroit. Suter lives in Wisconsin in the off-season.

Wings general manager Ken Holland did not return a call seeking comment.

The Wings badly want to add Suter, 27, after losing Nicklas Lidstrom to retirement and Brad Stuart to the San Jose Sharks. Both were top-four defensemen, and Suter would go a long way toward ameliorating the losses, as he’s a headsy puck mover who can join the rush and really help with the Wings’ transition game. The Wings have staunch competition for his services, including from Philadelphia and Minnesota.

The Wings also made an offer Sunday to forward Zach Parise, 27, joining Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Chicago, among others.

And the Newark Star-Ledger’s Rich Chere just offered a Parise update as well:

The unrestricted free agent, who says the Devils are still in the picture, called the process “more stressful than I thought.” Although he told The Minneapolis Star-Tribune as he arrived back in his home state he had yet to discuss his options with his fiancee, there is still a possibility that a decision will be announced today.

Only Alexei Ponikarovsky got away, signing a one-year, $1.8 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets. But Parise is the big fish.

“There’s a lot of things to factor into it and I think that’s why we’re taking our time with the decision,” Parise told Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune while in the baggage claim area at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. “It’s not something we can just make at 1 o’clock on July 1. It takes time to make sure you consider everything and you’re doing the right thing. We haven’t made a timetable or wanted to make a timetable. I don’t want to put those types of restrictions on anything. You have to do the right research and it’s a life-changing decision.”

Parise laughed at suggestions he came to Minnesota to sign with the Wild.

“This is where I live. Either way, we’re coming back here,” he said.

The Devils, Penguins and Wild may be the teams with the best chance at landing Parise for as many as 12 or 13 years for in excess of $100 million, but he won’t say.

“There’s so much more than the money. That plays a very small factor in it,” he said. “My agents did a great job. You take the time to consider everything. You consider where you want to be for the next however long and however many years of your life. It’s a harder decision than I thought it was going to be. I’m excited for it to be over pretty soon.”

Parise told Chris Long of 5 Eyewitness News that he will talk to his family and “know pretty soon” where he might land. The Wild is among the teams putting on a full-court press to sign Parise. The list reportedly also includes Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New Jersey. Parise led the Devils to the Stanley Cup Finals this season, serving as the team’s captain.

“We’ve narrowed it down, closer than we were two days ago,” Parise told Long after landing at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. “(A decision is) going to come soon. ... A lot of things factor in, it’s why we’re taking our time. We have to take our time. It’s not a decision that can be made at 1 (o’clock) on July 1st.”

Parise said he and his fiancée will make the decision together.

“We want to somewhere that we will be happy,” he said. “We haven’t made a timetable. I don’t want to put restrictions on it, because it’s a life changing decision.”

Asked why he would return to Minnesota from Toronto, Parise said: “Because this is where I live. Either way we were coming back here.”

The aircraft owned by Illich Holdings that visited Madison, Wisc., this morning is en route back to Detroit. The plane is scheduled to land around 4:18 p.m. this afternoon.

According to Flight Aware, a flight tracking system that shows live maps, flight statuses, airport delays, private/GA flights, and airports, there was a plane registered to Ilitch Holdings that arrived in Madison this morning. That is the plane owned by Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch.

That’s where free-agent defenseman Ryan Suter lives on a farm in Madison, Wis.

Wings general manager Ken Holland has not responded to text messages.

This is a great sign since Suter’s agent Neil Sheey told teams that there would be no face-to-face meetings with his client.

The Wings were planning to send Ilitch and Chris Chelios to his farm on Sunday, but that meeting was canceled.

The agent for unrestricted free agent defenseman Ryan Suter - a top target of the Detroit Red Wings - said his client is making progress, but won’t be rushed.

General manager Ken Holland is believed to have met today with Suter at his off-season home in Madison, Wisc., though neither side would confirm that. The Wings made an offer of $80 million over 13 years to Suter on Sunday, and have since increased the money to $90 million.

The issue isn’t so much money as a whole but rather the salary cap hit, as the Wings are concerned about retaining flexibility under a new collective bargaining agreement. Their top offer of $90 million averages to a cap hit of $6.9 million, which would put Suter among the leaders for defensemen.

Interesting - around the same time that a Red Wings plane is flying to/from Madison, there’s a charter from Minny too: http://ow.ly/bZJt5
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Since we have nothing else to do but speculate, I’ll guess that if Suter is indeed holding court today w/multiple teams, no decision today.
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That MN plane? Flew this morning to Int’l Falls (where Suter’s agent is), then later this a.m. to Madison. http?//ow.ly/bZTH1 #SuterWatch

“That plane” is N68JV, from Johnson leasing. The one we’ve been following is N559LC, registered to Olympia Aviation LLC.

#RedWings aren’t going to land new guys under market price any more. Look at money being handed out, it’s not happening any more anywhere.
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“@RyanTShannon: @HeleneStJames Suter already in that market with Nashville.”/Which is why Nashville is still in play

Update #12: The plane has landed, and the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan says he’s waiting, but the Detoit News’s David Guralnick fired off more interesting news:

I was doubtful that Suter is on that plane. But media are being denied acces to terminal where Ilitch’s plane will land.
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Media being sent off terminal property doesn’t mean Suter is on plane. Ilitch isn’t always up for a media scrum.
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Ilitch’s plane has landed.

Suter wants to go somewhere media isn’t crazy. Last thing Wings should do is talk to reporters camped out at the airport.
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@Cellblock303 Think NSH, MIN, DET and PIT all offer a good balance. You know NSH. In other cities, hockey matters, but not too much.
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@PK01972 It’s not overwhelming at all. In relative terms, it never has been. It’s a huge selling point for the Red Wings.
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@Phillysports89 Of course hockey matters in Philly. I think the media would be too much for Suter. My opinion.
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@DavePHLFlyers Difference between those cities is that in Pittsburgh, Crosby draws all the attention.
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Philly fans seem surprised Suter doesn’t want to deal with a lot of media. They shouldn’t be.

Update #14: And the Tennessean’s Josh Cooper, who thought all of this business was “silly,” and that he wasn’t “going to go near it,” suddenly fired this off:

With speculation swirling that a contingent of Red Wings management types went to Madison, Wisconsin to meet the prized free agent Ryan Suter — that’s Suter’s offseason home — the Predators say there are no plans for General Manager David Poile to make a return trip to Madison to meet with Suter at this particular instance. Poile did so in early June after the Memorial Day holiday. Of course, this could change.

Nashville is currently in a holding pattern with Suter, waiting to receive word from him on his plans. It’s believed the Predators will have the last crack at negotiations with Suter.

Let’s all feel touched that Cooper chose to grace us with his comments.

The agent for unrestricted free agent defenseman Ryan Suter—a top target of the Detroit Red Wings—said his client is making progress but won’t be rushed. General manager Ken Holland met today with Suter at his off-season home in Madison, Wisc., arriving back in Detroit late this afternoon. Holland was not immediately available for comment.

The Wings made an offer of $80 million over 13 years to Suter on Sunday, and have since increased the money to $90 million.

The issue isn’t so much money as a whole, rather the salary-cap hit, as the Wings are concerned about retaining flexibility under a new collective bargaining agreement. Their top offer of $90 million averages to a cap hit of $6.9 million, which would put Suter among the leaders for defensemen.

Suter also is being courted by his former team, Nashville, as well as Philadelphia and Minnesota. His agent, Neil Sheehy, told the Free Press, “a decision is forthcoming,” but wouldn’t say whether it will come today.

“For a young man who is looking to commit to 13 years, I find it strange that people expect him to make a decision within hours or days. Everything needs to be carefully considered. Today is another day—really, there is nothing else I can say.”
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The Wings offered a two-year deal to defenseman Sami Salo on Sunday, but he ended up signing with Tampa Bay.

A Red Wings’ contingent that included owner Mike Ilitch, general manager Ken Holland and advisor Chris Chelios flew to Madison Tuesday on Ilitch’s private plane to make a pitch to Suter in person.

The plane returned to a private terminal at Detroit Metro Airport at 4:20 p.m. but reporters were not allowed on the grounds to speak with team personnel.

MLive.com sent an email and left a phone message for Suter’s agent, Neil Sheehy, seeking comment but he did not respond. Holland also did not respond to phone messages.

But according to Kevin Allen of USA Today, Sheehy said in an email this afternoon that Suter would not make a decision today.

Suter was one of top two free agents to hit the market this year – New Jersey forward Zach Parise is the other – and the Red Wings are among several teams who covet his services.

A source told MLive.com Sunday that the Red Wings initial offer to Suter was 12 years for $90 million (salary cap hit of $7.5 million).

Update #17.5: And sir sanctimonious from Nashville offers this update to his story:

According to Ryan Suter’s agent Neil Sheehy, there will be “no decision” from Suter today. No indication in the email on whether Suter met with teams.

Update #18: And this is no surprise, from Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

#redwings weren’t only team to meet w Suter today. #MNWild owner Craig Leipold, GM Chuck Fletcher & coach Mike Yeo just landed from Madison
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Agent Neil Sheehy was also on the flight. Wild clearly picked up Sheehy in Intl Falls and gave him lift to Madison for both mtgs #MNWild
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Fletcher, Leipold and Yeo would not comment to me. Fletcher said he can’t speculate as to what happens w Suter/Parise #MNWild

For the first time Tuesday, the Wild met face-to-face with Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Suter.

It appears as if Tuesday morning, Wild owner Craig Leipold, GM Chuck Fletcher and coach Mike Yeo boarded a private plane at St. Paul Airport and flew to International Falls to pick up Suter’s agent, Neil Sheehy.

They then gave him a lift to Madison for the meeting with Suter. Also Tuesday, the Red Wings also reportedly met with Suter in Madison.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the Wild brass returned to St. Paul with Sheehy, who then flew back to International Falls.

Leipold, Fletcher and Yeo, though cordial at the airport, wouldn’t comment. Fletcher said he couldn’t speculate as to what Parise and Suter would decide.

The Detroit Red Wings weren’t the only team that had representatives meeting with free-agent defenseman Ryan Suter today.

According to Minneapolis Star Tribune hockey writer Michael Russo, the Minnesota Wild also flew representatives to Madison, Wis., to make a pitch for Suter.

“Owner Craig Leipold, GM Chuck Fletcher & coach Mike Yeo just landed from Madison,” Russo said on Twitter. “Agent Neil Sheehy was also on the flight. Wild clearly picked up Sheehy in Intl Falls and gave him lift to Madison for both mtgs.”

The Red Wings, by all indications, paid a visit Tuesday to defenseman Ryan Suter in Madison, Wis., in their bid to lure the talented free agent to Detroit. Wings owner Mike Ilitch and Chris Chelios, an advisor to general manager Ken Holland, apparently traveled to Madison to meet with Suter. Chelios, a former Red Wings defenseman, played college hockey at Wisconsin.

According to FlightAware.com, a Gulfstream plane licensed to Olympia Aviation LLC, left Detroit Metro Airport for Madison at 11:17 a.m. Tuesday. It arrived at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison at 12:08, departed at 3:30 and arrived back in Detroit at 4:19. Ilitch and Chelios left the private hangar at 29900 Northline Road in Romulus in separate cars — Chelios driving his car, Ilitch as a passenger.

Reporters were not permitted to get close to the hangar.

Suter, who is entertaining offers after seven seasons with the Nashville Predators, lives on a farm in Madison.

The Wings planned on sending Ilitch and Chelios to meet with Suter on Sunday, when free agency began. But Suter and agent Neil Sheehy said no face-to-face meetings would take place due to the volume of offers Suter had received.

Chelios could be a good recruiter in Detroit’s bid to land Suter. In addition to playing at Wisconsin, like Suter, Chelios also played with Gary Suter (Ryan’s uncle) with the Chicago Blackhawks. Chelios and Gary Suter entered the USA Hockey Hall of Fame together last autumn.
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He has played previously with at least one member of the Red Wings. Goaltender Jimmy Howard trained with Suter in the national program in Ann Arbor in 2001 and 2002, and was in net for the 2002 Under-18 gold medal victory and the 2003 World Junior Championship.

Suter is the son of Bob Suter, who won the gold in the “Miracle on Ice” 1980 Olympics, and nephew of Gary Suter, who played 1,145 games as an NHL defenseman for 16 seasons and was the first U.S.-born player to win the Calder Trophy (rookie).

The news keeps changing, and we’re left with more answers than questions. Who’s talking to whom? Who’s going where? Is a decision coming soon?

The Red Wings continued their pursuit of the two biggest names on the free agent market Tuesday. There are, indeed, no imminent decisions, but it is apparent Ken Holland and the Red Wings brass is still aggressively seeking a slam dunk combination.

Reports trickled out early Tuesday morning that head coach Mike Babcock was spotted in the Minneapolis airport, seeking a face-to-face encounter with left wing Zach Parise. Parise, speaking to the media Monday, affirmed he planned to head home to speak to his fiancé and family about his decision.

Detroit offered the former Devils forward a contract Sunday, and the offer is believed still be very much on the table. The Red Wings are reportedly still in Parise’s “list” of teams, joining the Devils and Penguins.

Ryan Suter’s agent, Neil Sheehy, told reporters Tuesday, his client will not make a decision until Thursday at the earliest.

That doesn’t mean the Red Wings are resting their case. Late in the afternoon, owner Mike Ilitch and team advisor Chris Chelios arrived back in Detroit after meeting with Suter in Madison, Wisconsin. The team declined to confirm the meeting.

Suter met with the Red Wings brass and members of the Minnesota Wild Tuesday.

The reported offer from Detroit to the 27-year old defenseman was originally for 13 years and $80 million, but that has been upped to $90 million. As Parise and Suter wait to sign their new deals, the rest of the NHL is in somewhat of a holding pattern. Yet one thing remains certain: the Red Wings will be working through the holiday.

Comments

That is all you cheep fux who haven’t contributed to get George to Traverse City need to know. Updated TWENTY TWO TIMES. Nowhere else in the known universe can you get that sort of coverage. One stop shopping.

Scroll back up to the button, ooops, no button on this post?? So go back a post or two,find a button, push it, contribute.

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